Environmental Expert On High Nitrogen Levels

Eastern Colorado agriculture is being implicated in unusually high rates of nitrogen deposition showing up in Rocky Mountain National Park and causing ecological harm. A large working group comprised of agricultural representatives meets quarterly to study the situation and create a set of “best management practices,” in hopes of warding off future environmental regulations.

“In 10 years, we won’t be talking about global warming, we’ll be talking about nitrogen,” Jay Ham, a meteorology and environmental expert in the soil and crop sciences department at Colorado State University said. “It’s a way bigger issue.”